Health is a large word. It embraces not the body only, but the mind and spirit as well;and not today’s pain or pleasure alone, but the whole being and outlook of a man. ~ James H. West

One feels stressed when one experiences that one lacks adequate resources to meet a demanding situation. Do not wait until stress damages your health, relationships and the quality of your life. The first step to stress management is to identify the sources that cause stress. It’s important to understand that your own thoughts, feelings and behavior can contribute to your everyday stress levels.

Once you’ve identified your stress triggers, think about strategies to deal with them. If you cannot alter the stressor, change yourself. You can adapt to stressful circumstances by changing your expectations and attitude. Practicing stress management techniques will help you counter the ill effects of stress and increase your coping mechanism. Total elimination of stress maybe unrealistic, management of stress is an attainable goal which can be achieved by various strategies.

To overcome stress:

Add humor to your life.

Being able to laugh away stress is one of the best ways to ward away its ill effects.

Maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly and get enough sleep.

Nourished and healthy bodies are better equipped to cope with stress, so be conscious of what you eat. Your diet has a profound effect on your mood and sense of wellbeing. It must make you feel good and energetic. Eat foods filled with colours and fibre and are closest to the way nature made it. Healthy and timely intake of food makes a tremendous difference to the way you look, think and feel.

Physically active people are less likely to experience depression and anxiety as compared with people who live a sedentary life. Exercise is an effective way to relieve stress as it invigorates your body with extra intake of oxygen and facilitates blood circulation. While exercising, the brain releases chemicals like dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine that make you feel good and relaxed. Regular exercise increases strength and flexibility, aids sleep, reduces risk of coronary heart disease, osteoarthritis, type 2 diabetes and depression.

Your bodies and organs, including your brain, are significantly dependent on water to function properly. You will function much below your optimum level and will get stressed if the water intake is insufficient.

While urinating you can observe if your urine is clear, indicating that you are well hydrated. However if it is yellow your water intake is not adequate and you should take corrective measures.

Make a conscious effort to spend less time in front of a screen

Social media or television should not be the concluding destination of your evening. Television, computer and phone unmistakably eat into your sleep time, leaving you more drained. Human bodies release a hormone called melatonin that aids to induce sleep. Pre-bedtime exposure to blue light emitted by screens decreases melatonin release. Your sleep is adequate if you can wake up spontaneously without using an alarm and feel rested on waking up.

Spend time in Nature.

Urban life surrounds you with artificial environments, radiations and unnatural electromagnetic fields. When you enter the world of nature you will feel peaceful and calm. Being away from anything manmade gives you valuable perspective and insights.

Manage to take out time for yourself.

It is important to nurture yourself and take out time for whatever makes you feel alive and happy. You may take pleasure in a massage, dance or listen to music. You may enjoy playing with a pet, an outdoor game, gardening or watching a comedy. Pursue a hobby that interests you and gives you a sense of fulfilment.

Diaphragmatic breathing is an important tool in stress management.

Natural breathing is to breathe deeply enabling the diaphragm to move up and down utilising the maximum capacity of the lungs. Few minutes of diaphragmatic breathing instantly lowers the stress levels. It stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system to induce a state of calm.

Meditation

It remains one of the most effective methods of counteracting stress other than countless other benefits. It helps you to still your mind and master negative thought patterns which are often the root cause of stress.

9. Practice gratitude.

Spend a little time to reflect on all the things you appreciate in your life, including your own positive qualities. Expressing and feeling gratitude reduces stress and helps you keep things in perspective.

Think Positive and be conscious that self talk is positive too.

Do not try to control things that cannot be controlled.

Adjust and adapt instead.

Take help of your support network

This could include your family, friends, people at work and professional providers, such as counselors or family doctors. Studies reveal that people with a balanced social support structure experience lesser stress-related symptoms and are better stress managers.

Remind yourself that life is fleeting and nothing is permanent. We need this perspective in order to remember what truly matters and that life is too precious to fret. Stress management needs to be regular and a continuous effort.

“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” – William James

Stress is the body’s reaction to any change that requires an adjustment and is a subjective phenomenon. The body reacts to these changes with physical, mental and emotional response called the stress response or the “fight or flight response”. The body’s autonomic nervous system has an internal mechanism that causes physiological changes to equip the body to deal with stressful situations. It flushes the body with hormones and chemicals such as adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine to prepare the body to escape or confront the threat/demand/pressure.

Adrenaline increases your heart rate, raises your blood pressure and provides additional energy. Cortisol, known as the stress hormone, also temporarily boosts energy by triggering the release of glucose into the bloodstream, to aid the person confront the challenge. Simultaneously, other bodily functions which are not instantly needed, such as digestion, are suppressed.

The body’s response to stress is usually self limiting and regulates itself once the pressure/threat/demand has passed. As our hormone levels fall, our heart and blood pressure will return to normal and other systems resume their regular activities. However the stress response can become persistently activated during prolonged periods of stress. The long-term activation of the stress-response mechanism and the subsequent overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones can disrupt almost all our body functions.

Long term stress wreaks havoc on our wellbeing and is detrimental to our health.

This article is not about feminism but about the regular and repeated crime of RAPE of women or RAPE and murder thereafter.

Reasons as I see:

Lack of Laws and which instil fear and act as a deterrent.

Poor implementation of existing laws.

Lack of education

Lack of Respect for women.

EDUCATION, MENTAL DEVELOPMENT, RESPECT BUILDING IS A LONG TERM GOAL

We lack education and we evidently lack education on sex which leads to the healthy understanding of sexuality. We need to move beyond biological study of reproductive parts and delve into sexual education covering diverse topics related to sex and sexuality. Sex education should aid in the understanding of values and acquiring skills that are needed to navigate one’s self in a civilised society. Honest conversations about sex and sexuality without guilt and disgrace attached to it are crucial and should be a part of education at home and in schools. Children learn largely from the way their mothers and sisters are treated in the house and it certainly calls for introspection and reorganization. Domestic violence is brushed under the carpet and it’s imperative to recognize that happenings in the society at large are a reflection of the conditions prevalent in our homes.

A man needs to understand the limitations of his rights and should be able to comprehend that a woman has similar rights like him. Dressing or drinking does not imply a “YES” to be violated. The perception of the word “masculine” needs a fundamental rectification and the erroneous self-worth attached to the size of one’s manhood needs to be substituted by a healthy perception of self worth. It has to be inculcated from childhood that sex can be consensual only. Men with fragile ego’s and low self esteem consider their masculinity threatened if a woman objects or denies to comply with their wishes and in some cases resort to crime and violence.

The belief that a man is superior to a woman gives rise to a fallacious mentality that a woman is simply a device through which the man may satiate his desires in whatever capacity and whenever he wills. In addition to this is the deformed conventional projection of what defines a woman with good character. Often many women are agreeable supporters of this distorted belief and contribute to the unfortunate condition they have in the society.

Rape is never a victims fault and women who have been raped need the support and understanding of all those around them including the males.

No society can progress till it lacks respect for women; this is a land where the three Gods, Brahama, Vishnu and Mahesh have complementing Goddesses Saraswati, Laxmi and Shakti. The woman of the house is equated with goddess Laxmi which is the goddess of wealth and prosperity, goddess Saraswati represents education and goddess Shakti represents the entire creation. The aforesaid fact needs to be instilled in the society in this country which is greatly reverential towards its deities.

No civilisation can prosper with women victimised, degraded and disrespected.

IMMEDIATE ACTION(Justice delayed is justice denied.)

Laws should be modified and perpetrators need to be punished adequately and speedily in a way that even the idea of rape becomes an implausible thought. The law enforcement agencies should be held accountable for any lapses. Procedures should be laid down to expeditiously review the actions and strategy adopted by them in investigation. Fear unquestionably acts as a deterrent both for the accused and enforcement agencies. Our own ancient wisdom “Laaton ke bhoot bataon se nahi mante” works the best and fastest. The light of the day has to begin with the law makers and law implementers who first need to educate themselves, amend and implement the laws speedily and step up to bring about the transformation.

Questions

How preposterous is the fact that a juvenile can conveniently commit a heinous crime of rape and torture but is juvenile to bear the punishment?

Is an exclusive fast track court required to handle cases on rape and rape and murder?

Don’t women irrespective of their age, caste, creed, religion, education and social strata who have given and will give birth to the entire population of human beings have a right to live a fearless life?

Does the answer lie in the fact that barbaric punishments should be given for barbaric acts? If life imprisonment or capital punishment is not deterrent enough do we need some other stringent measures both against the accused and delinquent law enforcement officers till responsibility and respect towards women in society at large is fully ingrained in its constituents?

Is public humiliation in one’s hometown the answer or widely publicised and advertised PUBLIC CASTRATION the answer?

Kali Puja performed on the night of Kartik Amavasya is dedicated to mother goddess Kali and celebrated especially in West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, Assam and Bangladesh. Prayers are offered to mother goddess for elimination and destruction of ego and negativity which obstructs spiritual growth adversely. The deeper connotation of goddess Kali’s slayer form is, one who slays all that is an obstruction to our spiritual development. Tantrics pray to mother Kali for annihilation of ignorance and all enemies within oneself as we all perceive the world outside from what lies within us- Anupama

On Friday September 16th planet Earth will experience a Lunar Eclipse; which is the last eclipse of this year. Normally, new moons are for beginnings and full moons are for realizing the full potential and concluding them. This September, the new moon and the full moon are both eclipses and an opportune time to sort our self in whichever area it is required. I believe being honest to one’s self and self sorting leads to sorting in all that is around us.

This period can be used to transform all negativity into positivity, letting go of all that is detrimental to our self be it ego, resentment, jealously, anger and all emotions that fuel degeneration. It is a time where we can take constructive steps to restructure our life for the better. It is also a time where our negative thoughts and actions can be severely destructive; we have to be aware and honest to our self. Remember the truth sets us free….Choose to see it. It is a period where we can make amendments and choose a better life or destroy it further. This period will aid us to see certain truths which we have shied away from accepting. We may feel raw and bare, but trust that this is an amazing time for growth and regeneration.

Believe that the Universe is seeking the best for us but needs our constructive co-operation. Think and act in accordance to this and it will create our TRUTH.

We need to meditate, introspect and journey inwards to understand our self.

Affirmation: I am honest to myself and I am positive that my thoughts and actions will allow grace to flow in all areas of my life, illuminating it.

I have made an effort to dispel some myths about Tantra through a work of fiction which also has a serious content, lined up in form of events to tell a tale of romance and love in actions beyond the normatic. The work highlights basic principles of Tantra, in an effort to dispel the misconceptions attached to a path that is maligned due to lack of authentic knowledge.

Sex is being propagated, people are fearful of Tantra and Tantrics and there exist serious allegations against Tantra, which are believed in, as no genuine practitioner has come forward to highlight the basic principles and the truth of Tantra. There are translations of scriptures which may or may not hold interest for anyone unless looked into, and general people remain unaware about what actually entails to be a Tantric and what is Tantra. The story through the life of its protagonist who is a Tantric explains the principles of Tantra,the fact that the use of power depends on the wisdom of the user and every choice and action has consequences.The book takes the reader through the unknown world of Tantra and behind the walls of an ashram which is feared and revered. The significance of thoughts, discipline, vibrations, mantra, yantra, the misuse of power, understanding that Tantra accepts the whole creation, sexuality being a part is weaved in the story line explaining concepts through the experiences and practices of the protagonist.

Is there a definition of GOOD and BAD in Tantra?

What is Tantric Sex?

How are sex and spiritualism comparable?

What is the relevance of sacrifice in Tantra?

Why is a Tantric feared?

What is the power of Mantra and Yantra?

What are the powers that a Tantra sadhak possesses?

What is Possession ?

The tantric curse answers all the above questions with the characters and story line set in a fast pace in today’s time and giving an account of a Tantric sadhanashal.The book depicts the multiple faces of Tantra, also bringing to light various cultural stigmas associated with caste and women.

A fascinating and simply written book that makes an unstoppable and sensational read defining the principles of Tantra, love, power and spiritualism through a life of a TANTRIC. A strong effective narrative that makes you believe in love and the power of faith.

ng the announcement of the release (2nd December) of The Tantric Curse authored by me and published by Rupa .